Wednesday, 14 May 2025

National parks

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (18:36): (1630) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Environment, and the action that I seek is for the government to finally introduce the legislation to create the Wombat–Lerderderg, Mount Buangor and Pyrenees national parks.

It has been six years since the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) recommended a major expansion of national and regional parks in central Victoria and four years since the government announced they would protect over 65,000 hectares of forest – what the government then proudly described as the largest expansion of our forest reserve system in our state’s history. Today members in this place tried to paint support for new national parks as confined to the inner city, completely dismissing the many, many local regional community groups who have been campaigning for better forest protection for decades. The attempts to turn this into yet another culture war is simply disgraceful. Communities have been waiting 47 months for the government to finally act on their promise. This is the longest time it has taken for any Victorian government to gazette new parks this century. Last year the government promised legislation would be introduced by the end of the year, but we are all still waiting.

These areas contain over 360 native plants and 180 native animals. There are at least 25 rare, vulnerable or threatened plant species and 15 threatened native animals. Victoria is facing an extension crisis. Our wildlife just simply cannot wait. The endangered brush-tailed phascogales, greater gliders and rare plants like the wombat bossiaea cannot wait any longer. Since VEAC first delivered its report the list of endangered species has only continued to grow.

Despite what other members may have claimed today, Victorians support new national parks. Independent polling has shown that 80 per cent of Victorians support the creation of new national parks. Victoria’s national parks are an economic asset. They contribute over $2 billion to the state economy each year and provide tens of thousands of jobs. An independent economic assessment showed that, at the very least, new national parks for Victoria’s central west will return between four times to double the economic return on investment. The longer this delay continues, the more damage is done to our forests, to our wildlife and to the public’s trust.

The PRESIDENT: Ms Purcell, I am sorry, your action was to introduce legislation. Is that –

Georgie PURCELL: Yes, for them to honour their commitment to introducing the legislation.

The PRESIDENT: Just so it falls within the standing orders, can your action be that you get an update on the progress?

Georgie PURCELL: That would be fantastic.

Lizzie Blandthorn: I think we have another matter to square off, President, so perhaps a point of order might be the most appropriate. Mrs Hermans’s matter raised an action from the Minister for Youth. She canvassed areas very widely, including some of my own, and I am more than happy to dispel the myths she just propagated. But certainly the matters that she raised fell across various portfolios other than those that, under the general orders, would be the responsibility of the Minister for Youth. I would suggest that whether her adjournment matter is actually in order should be reconsidered.

The PRESIDENT: Which portfolio do you believe it would be best put to?

Lizzie Blandthorn: For the part that is relevant to me, if Mrs Hermans would like to direct her adjournment to me, I would be happy to answer that now. But I genuinely could not follow, other than the range of issues canvassed, who it was for, but it certainly was not for the Minister for Youth.

The PRESIDENT: Of course an adjournment matter can only go to one minister. If it went to that minister, the response to the adjournment could be, ‘There are a number of things outside my remit, but this particular issue is not, and I’ll respond to that.’

Ann-Marie Hermans: On a further point of order, President, as you know, I did not get to finish everything that I had on there. But the issue is that a lot of young people, youth, are very vulnerable, and when they are out of home, even if they are under age and even if they are in the state’s care, if they are considered homeless and they are not in residential care, they actually are told that this is an issue that goes to Homes Victoria. I think the issue needs to go to the youth side of things, because we need to address the fact that we need the funding for these programs.

The PRESIDENT: I am happy with that. If it is directed to the Minister for Youth, they will get a response that way.